loco

What it means

1. 1.

   Man, dude — a vocative tacked onto almost any sentence between male friends. It carries no suggestion that the person addressed is insane.

2. 2.

   A guy, usually one behaving unpredictably: 'ese loco tá desacatao'.

Examples with translations

• Loco, eso no e' así.

  Dude, that's not how it is.

• ¿Qué lo que, loco?

  What's up, man?

• El loco se fue sin pagar.

  The guy left without paying.

  Note: Third-person use, with a hint of disapproval.

Where it comes from

Standard Spanish loco pressed into service as an address term, a development shared with Argentina and Chile but arrived at independently. In Dominican speech it is far more frequent than in most other varieties and is largely male-to-male.

Other forms

Similar terms:

manín, mano